Potato-harvester.



B. H. PUGH.

POTATO HARVESTBR.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 26, 1907.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

B. H. PUGH.

POTATO HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26 '1907,

905,921; Patented Dec, s, 1908.

y? 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2v k f I BURTON H. PUGH, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

roTATo-mnvEs'rEn.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Lpplioation filed October 28, 1907.. Serial No. 398,881.

Patented. Dec. 8, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, BURTON PUGH, citizen of the UnitedfStates, residing at T0- peka, in the countyfof Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements'in Potato-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has to do with potato harvesting; and it consists in the simple and efiicient. machine, hereinafter described and claimed, for separating vines from potatoes an elevatin the latter for discharge into a vat-yon or t e like. i

In the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of so much of a potato harvestin machine as is necessary to illustrate my improvements. Fig. 2 is a broken planview of the same. Fig. 3 is a broken rear elevation of .the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the upper portion of the elevator of the machine.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which:

A is the axle of the machine, on which are ground wheels B, provided at their inner sides with spur gears C.

D D are side fenders supported by the axle A and having rear portions which form a passageway between them for vines, dirt and potatoes during the process of separation.

E is a transverse shaft, journaled in the fenders D and having inions a intermeshed with the spur gears and also having a s rocket gear I) at one end and comparatively large sprocket gears 0, at intermediate points of its length, and F is an endless apron passed around .the sprocket gears c and arranged to receive potatoes, vines and dirt from a shovel or other digger (not shown) and carry the same upward and rearward, after the manner disclosed in my Letters-Patent for a potato digger, dated Oct. 15, 1907, Number 868.006.

As will be readily understood from the foregoing the endless apron F is driven in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, by the ground wheels B through the medium of the intermeshed gears C and a, the shaft E and the sprocket wheels 0 fixed on the latter.

G is an arch fixed to the fenders D and supporting a drivers seat H.

a I is an arch-fixed to the fenders D- and disposed considerably in rear of .the arch G for a purpose presently set forth.

J J are hangers connected to and depend? ing from the rear portions of'the fenders D.

K K are fenders inclined upward from the hangers J and disposed at right angles to the fenders D.

L L are angle bars connected to the lower edge portions of the fenders K and fixedly connected at their lower ends to the said hangers J, and M and N are stayrods connected at their outer ends to the angle bars L and at their inner ends to the arches G and 1, respectively, and serving to maintain the fenders K in the inclined position illustrated. The fenders K are provided at their upper ends with a spout P, preferably of sheet-metal, designed to convey potatoes into a wagon or the like moved along at one side of the machine; and said fenders K serve in combination with the inclined portion of an endless conveyer R to form the elevator of the machine At their upper ends the fenders K are provided with a shaft S on which are sprocket gears a, Fig. 4, for driving the conveyer R. The shaft S is also equipped with a miter gear d, intermeshed with a similar gear 0 on a shaft f which is connected through a tumble joint 9 with one end of a transverse shaft h journaled in the rear portions of the fenders D. The said shaft his provided at its opposite end with a sprocket gear 11, connected through a sprocket belt 7' with the sprocket gear b on the shaft E, whereby it will be seen that the conveyer R is driven from said shaft E. The conveyer R is provided at intervals with offset links is for preventing retrograde movement of potatoes incident to the elevation of the same; and it is passed over idler wheels Z and m on the fenders K and the han er J adjacent to the fenders respectivel and is also assed around idler wheels 11. on the hanger 1? remote from the fenders K, and under idler wheels r and 8 carried by said fenders.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the lower portion of the conveyer R is arranged horizontally and transversely of the machine at a point in rear of the apron F so as to receive potatoes from said apron in the manner hereinafter pointed out.

S, Fig. 2, 1s a cross-bar fixed to and extending between the fenders D, and T T are tangs arranged in transverse series on the bar S and extending rearwardly there-.

' chute potatoes to the horizontal portion of the conveyer R.

U is an inclined guide fixed between the hangers J and arranged at the opposite side of the lower portion of conveyer R, with reference to the tangs T.

V V are idler wheels carried by the fenders D. Y

W W are idler wheels carried by the hangers J.

X X, Fig. 2, are sprocket wheels fixed on the before described shaft h, and Y is a vine conveyer passed around the idler wheels and the sprocket wheels and arranged to derive motion from the latter. The said vine conveyer-Y is of wide link construction, as best shown in Fig. 2, and is arranged longitudinally of the machine at the rear thereof and around the lower transverse portion of the conveyer R.

The practical operation of my novel machine is as follows: The machine is drawn along a row of potatoes, and potatoes, dirt and vines are taken up by the shovel (not shown) and delivered to the apron F. This latter carries the potatoes and vines and some dirt upward .and rearward, and discharges the same on the conveyer Y, whereupon said conveyer, as its name implies, carries the tines rearward and discharges the same from the rear end of the machine. The potatoes and some dirt drop through the upper stretch of the conveyer Y and on the horizontal portions of the tangs T of the fixed grate which horizontal portions are arranged close to the under side of the upper stretch of the vine conveyer. Thevine conveyer moves the potatoes rearward on the said horizontal portions of the tangs ,while the dirt drops through the spaces between the tangs and in that way is separated from the potatoes, and when the potatoes reach the inclined portions of the tangs the potatoes are chuted by the tangs to the lower horizontal portion of the transverse conveyer B. This latter then carries the potatoes laterally and upwardly and discharges the same into the body of a wagon drawn alongside the machine or into any other suitable receptacle positioned to receive the potatoes.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that during the operation of the machine, my improvements require no attention from the driver; also, that the machine is simple I and light of draft, and at the same time, is well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which machines of corresponding type are ordinarily subjected. It will be further gathered that the relative arrangement of the transverse conveyer, the vine conveyer and the combined grate and chute contributes to the compactness of the mechanism.

The construction herein illustrated and described constitutes the best practical embodiment of my invention known to me,

posed vine conveyer arranged to receive potatoes and vines from the apron; thesaid vine conveyer surrounding the transverse conveyer and having interstices sufficiently large to permit potatoes to freely drop through it, a cross-bar fixed with res ect to the frame and arranged under and a jacent to the upper stretch of the vine conveyer at a point near the forward end of said stretch,

and a transverse series of longitudinally disposed tangs fixed to and extending rearward fromsaid bar and forming a grate arranged close to the under side of the upper stretch of the vine conveyer and having their rear portions inclined downward and rearward, and forming a chute for facilitating the passage of potatoes to the transverse conveyer.

In testimony' whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BURTON H. PUGH. 

